15 Minutes of Fame: I do my little turn on the catwalk

15 Minutes of Fame is our look at World of Warcraft players of all shapes and sizes – both the renowned and the relatively anonymous.

If you want to hear a sad song about a lack of bag space, just talk to a hybrid or tank-capable class. Those guys are lugging around three or more sets of gear, plus variations – it's enough to bust a Foror's Crate of Endless Resist Gear Storage wide open. (Yeah, we know you wish you had one of those; we do, too.) We talked with a player who definitely has storage issues, but from a little different perspective: Rattleshirt of Uldaman, who displays her finery not in raid instances or battlegrounds but on the catwalk.

Some players think vanity gear is a ridiculous waste of bank and bag space. Not Rattleshirt. When Rattleshirt decided to transfer realms not too long ago, she had to pare down to five full packs – yes, that's five full packs – from her existing 90-something ensembles. She had so many outfits that she began giving impromptu fashion shows in Orgrimmar every night before logging out, complete with audience requests for particular rare robes. We snagged a backstage visit with Rattleshirt to find out, well, what all the rattle is behind her many shirts.

15 Minutes of Fame: Where does all this passion for fashion come from?

Rattleshirt: I believe my collecting days started back when I was playing Asheron's Call and I had a fetish for color-coordinated Amuli armor. I think I had about 12 to 14 sets by the time I left. I come from an artistic background, so I enjoy the different textures/colors that WoW armor provides: bone, silk, feathers ... the works. I counted them up and have about 78 robes/dresses and three two-piece outfits on my main. I have several duplicates and grey dresses on a mule, but I forgot to tally them in since they're not part of my usual stock.

Are you a member of a roleplaying guild, or are you on an RP server?

I have characters on RP servers, but they were more of an experiment. Most of my friends don't think much of RP, unfortunately, so we're on a regular server.

Is your passion for fashion a solitary pursuit, or do you get an opportunity to share it with others?

I haven't been able to dance as much as I'd like lately. A lot of my free time has gotten eaten up by getting my second shaman to 70 and helping others in the guild prepare for Kara. I still try to dance several times a week, even if it's just at a meeting stone.

Other than tiered set armor for which you must raid or PvP, what pieces in the game have you found inaccessible due to level, faction or other restrictions?

I've always wanted some of the set dresses for Priests and Warlocks; I think the designs are fantastic, but I can't get them because of the class restriction. I was excited to see that tier look-alike sets are available, so I at least have a chance at getting something close (hopefully). There have been a few dresses I've had to pass up during leveling in favor of gear upgrades, but none outside of the Harlequin Robes that I remember regretting specifically. The Aldor Exalted robe is out of reach because I'm Scryer, and the idea of working all the way back the other direction for a dress is a little beyond my level of crazy. I'm also not a tailor – strange, considering my obsession, but I took Blacksmithing to help my guild and I don't think I could stomach starting over from scratch. (Plus, the Thorium Brotherhood can kiss my blue ass if they think I'm giving them any more turn-ins, lazy jerks.)

What of your current pieces has been the most difficult piece to obtain?

Out of the ones I have now? Probably the Robe of Oblivion. There always seemed to be a Warlock or other clothie in the group that needed it. I won't roll against someone who can use a dropped dress as an upgrade -- I'd be pissed if someone rolled on shaman gear for their hobby. As for ones I haven't gotten? Drakk is still taunting me about my Dreadmist Robe =(.

We know you surely must have a pirate outfit and a ninja outfit. Have you assembled any other special outfits for holidays, costumes or themes?

I have a full Defias Leather set on an alt, but I didn't have enough bank room on my collector sham. A guildmate sent me a pirate hat, but I think a mailer daemon ate it. I had a brimmed hat and fishing pole that went with my Overalls but had to sacrifice them to space necessities. I've been calculating the costs of getting 20-slot bags, but I've already gone almost broke supporting all my alts. I think the Murloc costume is adorable, but I didn't make it to BlizzCon =(.

Players who love to put together fashionable outfits often get stuck looking for the finishing touches -- the right shirt, gloves, boots. Do you have any particular favorites that you've found work especially well?

Since I have so many dresses, I actually don't have enough room for accessories. There are a number of coordinating outfits that lend themselves to additional tweaks like shields and staves, but I haven't been able to indulge in them. I've had to make a conscious decision to focus on the highest-impact item (chest) because of the space limitations.

What kind of storage space do you have devoted strictly to non-utilitarian fashion?

Practically every possible bank slot, a full pack worth on my character at all times and overflow of the non-soulbound on a mule (I can send you a screenie of my inventory if you like =P. When Blizz expanded the bank size a little, it was like taking a belt out a notch or two -- I loved it! I'd love it even more if they expanded the default player backpack, too.

At one point, you even had a special web site devoted to WoW fashion. What was that all about?

I built the website actually for the guild I ran on Zul'jin, but I saw an opportunity to help others by providing a fashion guide so they could see what robes were out there and what they looked like (this was back before the dressing room feature). Now there are sites like Thott and Wowhead that show the stats of each dress, so the screenshots I made are good for just a fashion catalog. My site quickly became out of date; I kept having to shuffle newer dresses into my collection and phase out uglier/older ones. I've gotten a bit more skillful in image manipulation since then, so I've been really tempted to rebuild the site.

Ok, time to 'fess up: What are your favorites?

Prettiest outfit I think I'd have to say it's a tie between the Mooncloth Robe and the Aurora Robe – I like them better for game weddings than the Wedding Dress pattern.
Funniest outfitOveralls -- lots of RP opportunities there, from redneck to Huck Finn.
Ugliest outfit Sadly, there are several that fit this category. The Royal Dangui is probably the most wretched thing I've bought. I used to show it to people as a warning not to spend the 29g cost. As for drops, the Bloody Apron and Brightcloth Robe are pretty horrible-looking, too.
Most expensive outfit The most I spent on a dress was probably 50g in materials for a Mooncloth Robe.
Most difficult to obtain Dreadmist Robe -- still haven't been able to get it =(.
Sexiest outfit I have two two-piece sets, one of which I wore as armor for a while. The metal set is essentially a steel bra and assless chaps; the leather set is a beaded halter and bikini bottoms.
Favorite outfit In terms of looks, it's a little plain-ish, but I love the look of the Nightsky Robe. The color goes great with my Troll's skin, and the side slits are a bit of sexy woven into the tribal cloth. Outside of that dress, the black and white Runecloth Robe is very formal, and the Imbued Netherweave Robe has a neat halter/skirt setup (I like showing skin, haha).

Do you know a player who you'd consider the hardest of the hardcore? Are you on the bleeding edge of raid content? Is your Arena rating teh secks? We're interested in talking to players who live and breathe WoW achievement. Shoot us a note at 15minutesoffame AT wowinsider DOT com and show us your WoW-fu.